Currently a monster Tornado cluster around Oklahoma city is headed directly for Tinker AFB.

News is sporadic but reports of multiple Tornado clusters are thrashing the area.

Measure Man

06-01-2013, 12:53 AM

Thoughts are with the folks over there...I have several very good friends at Tinker.

RFScott

06-01-2013, 01:13 AM

I've been watching this for the past few hours as I have friends that live in Moore, Oklahoma. I've been discussing this with my friends on Facebook through most of the night and have seen the weather observations coming out of Tinker so far this evening....multiple tornadoes on and around the base.

Busy night across the OKC area....hopefully everyone remains safe. I did see that a Weather Channel vehicle was tossed 200 yards by one of the tornadoes. Luckily the crew escaped with only bumps and bruises.

ChiefB

06-01-2013, 01:45 AM

Looks like the wx system has moved through Ok city... can't find any info on Tinker other than one twister reported on base previously. No current Tornados on ground... warnings still in effect. Storm now headed thru Missouri (Joplin) and on way to St. Louis Mo.

-- An 87-mph wind gust was recorded at the air force base, the National Weather Service tweeted.

RFScott

06-01-2013, 01:53 AM

I did see that tinker had an additional wind event after the tornadoes passed, with winds reaching 87 mph (76 knots). Looks like flash flooding is becoming and issue in the OKC area. I heard there was a tornadic storm moving over the Lambert Airport in St Louis earlier....hopefully nothing makes it into the Scott AFB area tonight.

RobotChicken

06-01-2013, 02:06 AM

:plane What A/C are at tinker?

RFScott

06-01-2013, 02:09 AM

I'm not sure RC, but I believe they have the E-3 Sentry there (AWACS).

Death toll is up to nine.....and I think a child was pulled from a swollen river in Oklahoma as well. They just can't get a break in the OKC area lately. Storm season started slow this year, but it has roared to life in the past few weeks unfortunately.

Dickie

06-03-2013, 12:41 PM

Tell you what. It was damn scary in base housing: me, the wife and my 2 your old son. You could feel the rumbling and hear it. Luckily, the tornado turned when it did or a good part of folks in housing would be homeless right now.

RFScott

06-03-2013, 12:54 PM

Tell you what. It was damn scary in base housing: me, the wife and my 2 your old son. You could feel the rumbling and hear it. Luckily, the tornado turned when it did or a good part of folks in housing would be homeless right now.

:spy Even if it did;the TSA or security would defeat any advantage accessing it!

Dickie

06-03-2013, 09:17 PM

The new houses where I live have shelters built In under the slab in the garage. Not sure about the old housing still awaiting demo. The gate guards have below ground shelters nearby their posts. But no provisions for folks at work areas to go to.

Death toll is up to nine.....and I think a child was pulled from a swollen river in Oklahoma as well. They just can't get a break in the OKC area lately. Storm season started slow this year, but it has roared to life in the past few weeks unfortunately.

Saw that. They had been up on the WX channel a lot of the day. If it could happen to experienced professional guys like that, some of the future amateur gawkers are in real danger. Mother Nature gets real murderous in Tornado Alley.

ChiefB

06-04-2013, 12:15 AM

The new houses where I live have shelters built In under the slab in the garage. Not sure about the old housing still awaiting demo. The gate guards have below ground shelters nearby their posts. But no provisions for folks at work areas to go to.

Well it sounds like they are making progress. That's something. Now if they could just solve Keesler's flooding problem...

ChiefB

06-04-2013, 12:16 AM

The new houses where I live have shelters built In under the slab in the garage. Not sure about the old housing still awaiting demo. The gate guards have below ground shelters nearby their posts. But no provisions for folks at work areas to go to.

Well it sounds like they are making progress. That's something. Now if they could just solve Keesler's flooding problem...

ChiefB

06-04-2013, 12:17 AM

Tell you what. It was damn scary in base housing: me, the wife and my 2 your old son. You could feel the rumbling and hear it. Luckily, the tornado turned when it did or a good part of folks in housing would be homeless right now.

Glad you made it ok. It must have been a real scary day so close to the Moore nightmare.

Dickie

06-04-2013, 02:02 AM

Thanks Chief! Actually it was happenstance that I moved up to base last year. I used to live right in the 4th St and Bryant Ave area in Moore. My old neighborhood got hit. I would say we were lucky we moved but we have so many friends down there.

RobotChicken

06-04-2013, 03:18 AM

Well it sounds like they are making progress. That's something. Now if they could just solve Keesler's flooding problem...
:fish2 Issue everyone a 'scrub tub'.(works in a pinch)

RFScott

06-04-2013, 05:30 PM

Damage surveys and radar data now indicate that the tornado that struck the El Reno area was the widest in history at 2.6 miles in width. Wind speed measurements from a nearby radar at the University of Oklahoma indicated that the winds also peaked at 296 mph, making it the second highest wind speed recorded on the surface of the earth (behind a tornado that struck Moore, OK in 1999).